Editorial: Trump’s bombast on Syria is reckless

President Donald Trump is flanked by Vice President Mike Pence, left, and National Security Adviser John Bolton as he meets with senior military leaders at the White House in Washington, April 9, 2018. Trump put Syria and Russia on notice April 11 in a Twitter post, promising that missiles fired at Syria “will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’” and telling the Kremlin that it should not partner with a “Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”

Photo: TOM BRENNER, NYT

President Trump is adopting a diplomatic playbook he swore to avoid with Syria. After a ghastly and inhumane chemical weapons attack, he’s serving notice of a punishing response and taunting Russia, Syria’s ally.

Last year, he followed through after a similar gas attack by unleashing cruise missiles on a Syrian airfield. He may be about to do the same again, only on a larger scale. But the similarities end there.

This time, Trump’s telegraphing his next moves, merited as they may be. He tweaked his predecessor Barack Obama for setting timelines on military withdrawals and actions.

Now he’s doing the same.

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He’s jumbling the message in other ways. In a predawn tweet he assailed Russia for helping Syria. “Get ready Russia, because (the missiles) will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’” Less than a hour later he toned it down saying “we need all nations to work together” and followed that bromide with an absurd broadside at Democrats, blaming them and Special Counsel Robert Mueller for creating “the bad blood with Russia” with a “fake and corrupt” investigation into the 2016 election. Only last week, Trump had sounded off about withdrawing entirely from Syria.

It’s bewildering, jumbled thinking, the kind that puzzles the global public, complicates diplomacy and undercuts the White House. It’s a dangerous display of reckless bravado from a man once again proving that he lacks the temperament and judgment required of the highest office in the land.

This commentary is from The Chronicle’s editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.